Background Knowledge - Taking 'Kadash' Between Diamond Rock and Martinique I’ve just completed my first science fiction book - Nonrecursive. Sci-Fi’s superficially quite a change after five novels depicting Napoleonic era naval warfare, I think these genres are more related than they appear at first glance. I think that good books – or at least the books I like - have the same ingredients: Above all else, they have a good plot. Whether it’s about a scheme to kidnap the Ki

The Last MGB Roadster in the County Hall Museum, Abingdon Abingdon, south of Oxford, is said to be the oldest town in England, and its County Hall Museum has impressive displays of pre-historical and historical artefacts, including stone tools hundreds of thousands of years old. Even older are the fossils on display, such as the skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile similar in shape to a dolphin. The view from the museum’s roof is impressive, with vistas of the old t

South Foreland When I was an engineer with the BP Tanker Company, if the ship I was working on had been abroad for some time there was palpable excitement – a condition known as the ‘Channels’ - when she was homeward bound and reached the Western Approaches of the English Channel. A BP Tanker, the British Fulmar This excitement, the feeling that the trip, with all its events and interest, is coming to an end is reflected in the old sea song, 'Spanish Ladies': We’ll rant and

Great Dismal Swamp Canal Our recent trip along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the ICW, from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Norfolk Virginia in our 40’ sailboat was a wonderful experience, and I thought an account of our journey might be useful to other sailboaters making the trip for the first time. Town Creek Anchorage, Beaufort NC The ICW is a system of connected rivers, canals, creeks and sounds that allows vessels of moderate draft and height to make their way along t

Space Shuttle 'Atlantis' at Kennedy Space Center The ICW, the Intracoastal Waterway, is a system of connected rivers, canals, creeks and sounds that allows vessels of moderate draft and height to make their way along the eastern seaboard of the USA without venturing into the Atlantic. Lifting Bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway As Kim, our 40’ sailboat made her way north along the ICW from Fort Lauderdale in Florida we took the opportunity of visiting some of the museums that

'Kim' at Las Olas Boulevard Bridge Moorings, Fort Lauderdale, Florida On the morning of 19th April 2026 Kim arrived at Fort Lauderdale in Florida, marking a significant step on the journey which started in June 2023 at Port Napoleon in Southern France, and has taken us to three continents and innumerable ports and anchorages. Garden in Rabat, Morocco Our cruise has given us many memorable experiences, including the most recent segment, our two-day trip from Bitter Guana Cay,

Seaplane in Charlotte Amalie Harbour, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Crew pumping float bilges On 12 th March, Sally and I in Kadash departed Charlotte Amalie, the main port of St Thomas, one of the US Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie harbour, dominated as it is by large cruise ships and a marina for superyachts laying over in the absence of charter parties or their owners, is surprisingly pleasant and well sheltered. We hadn’t seen a seaplane since we were in the South

KADASH at Anse a la Barque, Guadeloupe We left Grenada about a month ago, and have been slowly working our way north, through the Windward Islands. The trip has been largely uneventful, though our attempt to leave Grenada was frustrated when the engine didn’t start – eventually traced to a defective solenoid – and the autopilot stopped working on the passage between Carriacou and Bequia. With expert advice from Cruising Association members, I soon isolated the faulty contro

Walking to the Boat in Grenada My new book, ‘Diamond Rock’ is published! ( Diamond Rock (Paul Weston Historical Maritime and Naval Fiction Book 5) eBook : Weston, Paul: Amazon.co.uk : Kindle Store ). It’s very difficult for authors to self-assess their work, but I’m pleased and grateful that ‘Diamond Rock’ has received some favourable reviews, and pre-orders have been strong. I’ve also been working pretty hard on the prototype of - I’m not sure how to describe it, so I’ll c

Cover of 'Diamond Rock' My new book, ‘Diamond Rock’ is published today. ( Diamond Rock at Amazon ) It’s very difficult for authors to self-assess their work, but I’m pleased and grateful that ‘Diamond Rock’ has received favourable reviews, and pre-orders have been strong. One review I was very flattered by was from well known author Damien Lewis ( Damien Lewis ): ‘A gripping tale of swashbuckling derring-do on the high seas. Impeccably researched and wonderfully drawn, with

'Greenwich Hospital from the North Bank of the Thames' by Canaletto - the Queen's House can be seen between the two wings of the Hospital With my latest book, Diamond Rock , published ( Diamond Rock (Paul Weston Historical Maritime and Naval Fiction Book 5) we spent last weekend in London. We’re members of the Cruising Association, and as we often do, stayed in one of the ‘cabins’ at the Association’s headquarters at Limehouse. It’s location, next to the lock between Limeh

Kadash Departing Rabat - Passing the Kasbah of the Udayas I’ve just posted a YouTube video paul weston author sailing - YouTube about...

Cover of 'Diamond Rock' When I wrote my first book, ‘Weymouth Bound’ many years ago, I imagined the main character, Jack Stone, as...

Free at Last! - Mitch on the Etang de Thau From July 2020 to June 2021, during the second Covid lockdown, Mitch lay alongside the bank...

Mitch at a Lock on the Canal du Midi We visited Mitch briefly in January 2020, as an aside from a skiing holiday in the Pyrenees, but any...

Gunner William Rivers' Commonplace Books I recently had the opportunity of examining the ‘commonplace’ books of William Rivers in the...

Pinney's Beach, Nevis Inspiration - you just can’t avoid it – that is if you are a writer of historical naval fiction and you are sailing...

Roadside Bar, Dominica We found that Deshaies in the north of Guadeloupe was an unsatisfactory place, crowded, with a northerly swell...

I have nearly finished writing my new novel “Diamond Rock”. Without giving too much away, the book is set largely in the Caribbean, in...

Martin and George in Great Sound BVI The British Virgin Islands is a group of islands in the extreme north of the Lesser Antilles. The...